Noah Gragson has forged a happy-go-lucky personality off the track. From videos during his time at Stewart-Haas Racing with teammates Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece to moments alongside team owner Tony Stewart, Gragson was always the one cracking jokes and keeping spirits high. But his journey in NASCAR, as well as his personal life, has not been that smooth.
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It would be hard to fathom Gragson’s struggle, going by how he has carried himself over the years. He has even shown a taste for off-track adventures. At Talladega Superspeedway last season, Gragson teamed up with automotive YouTuber Westen Champlin for a look at the infield scenes that have long been part of race weekend lore.
Yes, Gragson is a constant source of positive energy. However, beneath the surface, he has endured his share of travails. In 2019, his father, Scott Gragson, was arrested for DUI following a crash in a Las Vegas neighborhood that resulted in a death. The case led to imprisonment for Scott. Noah, however, rarely addressed the topic in public. That changed this year.
In the latest season of NASCAR: Full Speed, Gragson spoke about his father’s imprisonment and the impact of the situation on his life.
During the 12 Questions segment interview with Jeff Gluck, Gragson revealed why he chose to open up now. “The time has passed where I’ve become more comfortable with the situation,” he said.
“I just never really talked about it publicly because I wasn’t really comfortable with it. Now I’ve kind of taken the approach of, ‘That’s a part of my journey. That’s a chapter in my life that makes me who I am.’ So it’s kind of owning, ‘Hey, this is the situation that I’m in, and this is part of my life.’ I try not to hide anything. I try to be an open book,” continued Gragson.
“I felt like Full Speed was the biggest platform I’ve been on to give people a behind-the-scenes look at who I am as a person and the driver I am, and the son and brother and friend I am to people. It just seemed like it was the appropriate time for me to tell that story,” he added.
Gragson had been quite hesitant to speak about his father in the past. He spoke about how he had been invited more than once to appear on The Dale Jr. Download. The podcast is known for conversations that dig deep into both career and life away from the track.
Gragson declined those invitations because he expected the chat to bring up his father. And he did not feel ready for it at the time.
The shift happened during a meeting with producers developing the NASCAR: Full Speed series with Amazon Prime Video. During a Zoom planning call, Gragson told them he was ready to answer any questions they had. By doing so, he opened the door for this part of his life to be featured on screen. Now the fans will also understand what he has endured.
